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RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 21 October 2025 be received and confirmed as a correct record.
RESOLVED that, having regard to the recommendations from Performance Scrutiny Committee and the representation made by staff, Unison representatives and the wider elected membership, Cabinet – (a) agrees to pause the implementation of the decision to close Cefndy for a period of six months in order that Scrutiny, Unison, and any relevant stakeholders may bring forward for consideration a detailed business case for a sustainable, viable, financial future for Cefndy based on a review of any of the alternatives suggested by them, and (b) the process of the review to be inclusive of all stakeholders and the outcome be reported to Scrutiny for consideration. At this point (10.40am) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) acknowledge the operational costs of each Public Convenience (as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report), and (b) having considered the current position of each City, Town and Community Council, approves the proposed recommendations for each Public Convenience in Denbighshire (as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report).
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the draft response to the Natural Resources Wales consultation on the proposal to designate Glyndŵr National Park (Appendix 1 to the report), and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 3 to the report) as part of its consideration.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the procurement and direct award contract to Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK Ltd (Jones Bros) for the site clearance, demolition and asbestos removal up to the value of £4.7m, and (b) delegates authority to the Corporate Director: Environment and Economy, Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services, S.151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to award the contract once the Council’s Design and Construction team were happy that all pre-contract information had been received and was acceptable.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) agrees the proposed new Pay Table as set out in Appendix 3 to the report and recommends it to full Council for approval, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment attached in Appendix 4 to the report as part of its consideration.
RESOLVED that Cabinet endorse the documents attached at Appendix A to the report for submission to UK Government, subject to the changes proposed by the Partnerships Scrutiny Committee (Appendix C to the report) being made.
RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) note the budgets set for 2026/26 and progress against the agreed budget strategy, and (b) approve the £1m set aside to the Council Fund Balance as detailed in paragraph 6.1 of the report and the creation of the Funding Future Sources of Funding reserve as detailed in paragraph 6.5 of the report.
RESOLVED that Cabinet’s forward work programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 1.12 pm.
There were no apologies.
Councillor Emrys Wynne declared a personal interest in agenda item 9 because his daughter was a close friend to one of the directors of Jones Bros.
No urgent matters had been raised.
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RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 21 October 2025 be received and confirmed as a correct record.
The minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 21 October 2025 were submitted. RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 21 October 2025 be received and confirmed as a correct record.
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RESOLVED that, having regard to the recommendations from Performance Scrutiny Committee and the representation made by staff, Unison representatives and the wider elected membership, Cabinet – (a) agrees to pause the implementation of the decision to close Cefndy for a period of six months in order that Scrutiny, Unison, and any relevant stakeholders may bring forward for consideration a detailed business case for a sustainable, viable, financial future for Cefndy based on a review of any of the alternatives suggested by them, and (b) the process of the review to be inclusive of all stakeholders and the outcome be reported to Scrutiny for consideration. At this point (10.40am) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break.
Councillor Terry Mendies, Chair of Performance Scrutiny Committee presented the report detailing the findings and recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee held on 6 November 2025 following consideration of the call-in of the Cabinet decision taken on 21 October 2025 relating to the Cefndy Viability Report. Councillor Mendies provided some background leading up to the Scrutiny Committee meeting itself which had been very detailed and emotional. The report referenced the lengthy debate based on the grounds of the call-in and outcome of the scrutiny process. The Committee agreed that insufficient regard had been given at October’s Cabinet meeting to the recommendations made by Performance Scrutiny Committee following its pre-decision scrutiny of the Viability Report. Members wanted to ensure all potential solutions to secure a positive viable future for Cefndy had been fully explored before a decision was taken on its future and felt a transformational approach was required. A concerted effort should be made for all models to be properly tested and evaluated with all options fully researched and all elected members and other stakeholders given the opportunity to examine the full options appraisal for all potential solutions put forward. Councillor Mendies also raised some concern over the financial information presented at the meeting. In conclusion, Cabinet was asked to review its original decision and – (i) in doing so has regard to Scrutiny’s observations and commit to undertaking a detailed forensic feasibility study involving the wider elected membership of the Council and other stakeholders, and (ii) following that exercise considers taking the matter to full Council prior to taking a final decision on Cefndy’s future. The Leader thanked Councillor Mendies for the report on the scrutiny debate and the Scrutiny Committee for their work. He accepted that the matter had been scrutinised afresh and that there had been a thorough and detailed debate. The Leader advised that Cabinet had carefully considered all the detailed evidence provided earlier and all reasonable alternatives and was satisfied that Cefndy in its current model was not financially viable, particularly in the difficult economic climate, and their decision had been made in good faith. However, having listened to the views of the Scrutiny Committee, wider membership, staff, Unison, other stakeholders, and the strength of feeling on the matter Cabinet had on balance concluded that the proposed closure of Cefndy be paused so that interested parties could develop their own suggestions for alternative delivery models for the sustainable operation of Cefndy going forward. As recommended by Scrutiny the review would be as inclusive as possible with input from elected members, Unison, staff and any other relevant stakeholders and would have appropriate support from the Council. The review should be concluded within a six month period and the outcome reported back to Scrutiny. The Leader invited Councillor Delyth Jones, Lead Member for Finance to explain the budget implications of that decision. Councillor Delyth Jones advised that the decision by Plaid members had not been taken lightly or without consideration of the facts, and made in good faith. However, some of their understanding since then had shifted and it was right to pause the decision. There was a need to be clear about what was expected from a further review with a long term sustainable financial solution for Cefndy to continue to operate without making a loss, recognising that the building, machinery and any product development would require capital investment, a credible plan as to how the investment would be funded and timescales for implementation. If a viable solution could not be found and Cefndy continued to make a loss what other council functions would need to be cut to cover the budget pressures created by Cefndy. The Head of Finance and Audit advised as to the financial implications of a six month pause in the decision to allow for the review to take place. Cefndy was forecasting an overall loss by the end of the financial year taking account of the £155k budget but it had a specific service reserve in the years it had made surpluses which could fund the in-year loss to the end of the financial year. The six month period continued into the next financial year which was forecasting a loss of £300k and one off funding (circa £200k) from the budget mitigation reserve could be used to cover the running losses and costs of the review. However, there was a risk given the uncertainty surrounding Cefndy’s future and continuing difficult trading conditions that the financial position could worsen over the next six months. The Leader formally read out the proposal to pause implementation of the decision for six months to allow for a further review into other models with all stakeholders involved with the outcome reported back to Scrutiny, which was subsequently proposed by Councillor Delyth Jones, seconded by Councillor Alan James. At this point the Leader invited Unison’s Branch Secretary to address Cabinet. The Branch Secretary stressed the importance of Cefndy to all those involved and the campaign to keep it open. He was extremely pleased with the decision to allow time to put forward alternatives and was aware that adjustments would be needed to the model due to the economic circumstances and there was wide ranging engagement in that regard in order to save Cefndy. He thanked Scrutiny and Cabinet for their work in together with the staff, union colleagues and volunteers. The Leader highlighted the parameters of the call-in debate. He appreciated there would be questions around the review process and confirmed that the process was currently being formulated and would be shared as soon as possible. There was much support from the wider elected membership for Cabinet’s rethink of their decision. Councillor Joan Butterfield thanked Cabinet for pausing and re-evaluating the situation highlighting the need to safeguard customers, proactively market Cefndy, exploring other models and diversification; she felt it was important that sufficient time was given to ensure Cefndy flourished going forward. Councillor Bobby Feeley was keen to ensure support for those workers who had been looking to take redundancy/retirement. Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts also welcomed the news for all those involved and raised questions regarding the review process. Councillor Gwyneth Ellis highlighted the good example of Scrutiny and Cabinet working together and said the situation should not be used as a means of political point scoring. Councillor Gareth Sandilands echoed those sentiments and gave his views on the review process and need to work positively together going forward. The Leader thanked members for their contributions and support. In response to questions, he confirmed that support from Working Denbighshire and HR remained ongoing for all staff and full details of the review process would soon be available. In bringing the debate to a close, the Leader thanked members for their feedback and also thanked the Cefndy staff who had attended the meeting. For clarity, the Leader restated the proposal which was subsequently put to the vote and it was – RESOLVED that, having regard to the recommendations from Performance Scrutiny Committee and the representation made by staff, Unison representatives and the wider elected membership, Cabinet – (a) agrees to pause the implementation of the decision to close Cefndy for a period of six months in order that Scrutiny, Unison, and any relevant stakeholders may bring forward for consideration a detailed business case for a sustainable, viable, financial future for Cefndy based on a review of any of the alternatives suggested by them, and (b) the process of the review to be inclusive of all stakeholders and the outcome be reported to Scrutiny for consideration. At this point (10.40am) the meeting adjourned for a refreshment break.
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RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) acknowledge the operational costs of each Public Convenience (as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report), and (b) having considered the current position of each City, Town and Community Council, approves the proposed recommendations for each Public Convenience in Denbighshire (as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report).
Councillor Barry Mellor presented the report on the future of public conveniences (PCs) provision in Denbighshire. Some context was provided regarding the overall financial position of the Council and actions taken to provide a long-term solution to keep as many PCs open as possible. Following a call-in of Cabinet’s decision in April 2025 to approve a new Public Toilet Strategy and next steps Cabinet agreed in May 2025 to add further recommendations to its decision, including meaningful discussions with relevant City, Town and Community Councils (CCTCs) and any other relevant third party on the options for keeping PCs open. The report focused on the outcome of that work. Work undertaken since the Cabinet meeting in May 2025 had been detailed in the report including calculation of the operating costs of each individual PC across Denbighshire and discussions with CTCCs regarding funding the budget gap in order to make them cost neutral to the Council and enable them to be kept open. Councillor Mellor was pleased to report that discussions with CCTCs had been largely positive and thanked CCTCs for their understanding and engagement. The current position was that most of the PCs would be kept open which had only been possible due to a number of CTCCs being able and willing to fund the budget gap. Exceptions were Dyserth and Denbigh and unfortunately the recommendation was the closure of those public toilets from 31 March 2026 in the absence of a budget to keep them open. Councillor Mellor thanked officers for the hard work carried out. The Head of Highways and Environmental Services also thanked the CTCCs for their efforts and work leading to the current position. He referred to the points raised by Communities Scrutiny Committee when scrutinising the proposals (Appendix 6a to the report referred) and responded to each one individually. He also drew attention to Appendix 2 to the report and guided members through the current position of CTCCs following discussions, outlining the agreements reached and any mitigations, together with the proposed recommendations as a result. The Leader echoed the comments made by the Lead Member and Head of Service and thanked the CTCCs for their engagement and support. Cabinet also thanked officers for the comprehensive report and appreciated the detail provided. The Council’s investment in adaptations to the PCs and work undertaken with the CTCCs was welcomed and it was accepted that these were difficult decisions for individual CTCCs to make based on their own particular circumstances. Main points of discussion focused on the following – · Councillor Emrys Wynne referred to the position in Ruthin noting the closure of Market Street PC from 31 March pending the community asset transfer and welcomed the mitigations in place to ensure other toilet facilities were available in the vicinity; officers confirmed that where closure was recommended attempts had been made to offset that by making other facilities available in the locality · Councillors Delyth Jones and Rhys Thomas referred to the recommendations to close PCs in Dyserth and Denbigh and sought assurances that officers would be open to further dialogue with those CTCCs in the event the situation or circumstances changed in those areas and for more proactive work to be undertaken with the assistance of local members in approaching potential businesses to join the Community Toilet Scheme (CTS) to mitigate closures. Officers explained that following a decision on the report recommendations work would be carried out at pace to determine the staffing model going forward and whilst further dialogue would be welcomed to prevent closure those discussions should be held as soon as possible in order to be accommodated. Approaches had been made to various businesses to join the CTS with a positive response from HWB Dinbych and whilst there was limited capacity within the service direct approaches could be made to specific businesses suggested by local members providing those businesses met the relevant criteria to join the CTS · Councillor Julie Matthews reported on the discussions at Prestatyn Town Council, and queried the accuracy of the estimated visitor numbers and financial impact in the event of a shortfall or excess in those numbers. Officers advised that conservative estimates had been made where there was no actual data, and they were fairly confident of those figures. If there was a funding shortfall further discussions would be needed with CTCCs, but assurances were given that any excess would be paid back. It was also agreed to provide a monthly breakdown on the use of each facility to CTCCs in order to closely monitor income. Whilst the needs analysis had shown a shortfall in PCs in Rhyl and Prestatyn the Council was not obligated to provide those facilities but had attempted through the Public Toilet Strategy to maximise provision through levers such as the CTS. Whilst a separate issue, it was noted that provision of PCs at Prestatyn Train Station would help alleviate the issue and discussions were ongoing with Transport for Wales at both senior officer and political level. Councillor Bobby Feeley was appalled that closures were being proposed; she highlighted the situation in Ruthin and concerns of Ruthin Town Council over the lack of clarity and consultation. Councillor Arwel Roberts reported on the situation in Rhuddlan and importance of PCs and raised questions regarding the proposals. Councillor Gareth Sandilands also highlighted the need to safeguard PCs and to liaise much earlier with CTCCs in the process and proactively promote alternative provision. Councillor Gwyneth Ellis felt the budget should be removed from the service given the ongoing situation and that the approach taken with CTCCs was wrong resulting in increasing precepts in those areas. Councillor Andrea Tomlin did not consider meaningful discussions with CTCC had taken place with the option of paying for PCs or closure, queried the position with raising Council Tax to fund the service, raised concerns regarding the estimated usage of PCs and advocated a year’s trial to ensure accurate figures. Councillor Karen Edwards wished to clarify that it was DCC’s decision to levy a £1 usage charge and not the decision of Llangollen Town Council. Councillor Pauline Edwards highlighted the increasing demands on CTCCs who had a finite amount of funding and the approach resulted in a further tax on residents. The officers responded to questions and comments as follows – · reported on the latest situation in Ruthin including Cae Ddol which was part of a wider scheme and the query over the retaining wall at Market Street and mitigations if closed; discussions were ongoing with Ruthin Town Council and it was agreed to contact them again soon in that regard given the concerns raised · the reasoning behind a 2-year agreement was to provide surety for staffing and confidence to invest in upgrading the PCs with the payment system which needed to be card only due to the additional staffing required for a cash system; for Rhuddlan this would involve them taking ownership of the PC via community asset transfer; for premises joining the CTS signage could be displayed at the premises and details of those facilities added to the Council’s website · the motivation for the service had always been to keep the PCs open within the budget available; budgets were accounted for where the responsibilities for delivering services sat and so the budget for PCs remained with the service · whilst some of the discussions with CTCCs had been difficult at times which was to be expected they had been meaningful and highly collaborative which had positive results given the alternative may have been widespread closure; no reference had been made to the recommendation to consider Council Tax to fund the service in those discussions as that was beyond service’s control; where actual usage data was available it had been used and conservative estimates had been made with any additional revenue paid back to the CTCC · elaborated on the previous discussions regarding the potential funding of the service via an increase in Council Tax and advice given which cautioned against making individual service decisions in isolation when setting the budget which should be considered as a whole taking into account the wider budget impacts and it had been too early in the process to quote the impact on Council Tax; in light of the current position there would be a need to consider any shortfall and pressure on the budget but it would not need funding through a Council Tax rise · officers disputed that it was the County Council’s decision to levy the £1 usage charge in Llangollen and maintained that a collective agreement had been reached following discussions and consideration of a number of options. Whilst acknowledging the different views, the Chief Executive had been pleased that in a difficult financial climate the Council had engaged and worked collaboratively with CTCCs to reach a position where the majority of PCs would be kept open. A dedicated CTCC Liaison Officer was now in post to provide that link and consult and engage with CTCC at an earlier stage going forward. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) acknowledge the operational costs of each Public Convenience (as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report), and (b) having considered the current position of each City, Town and Community Council, approves the proposed recommendations for each Public Convenience in Denbighshire (as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report).
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RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the draft response to the Natural Resources Wales consultation on the proposal to designate Glyndŵr National Park (Appendix 1 to the report), and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 3 to the report) as part of its consideration.
Councillor Alan James introduced the report presenting the Council’s draft response to the National Resources Wales (NRW) consultation on the creation of a National Park in North East Wales for Cabinet’s review and approval. NRW had been working on evidence gathering to respond to the concerns raised in the Council’s interim statement issued in January 2025, and in September 2025 issued a draft Designation Order and started a 10-week statutory consultation for the designation of a National Park for North East Wales. The consultation required the Council to make a formal decision on whether it would support or object to the proposal. Officers had drafted the consultation response to reflect the views of elected members and in consultation with officers. In brief, the Council supported the principle of enhanced landscape protection and the sustainable development opportunities that National Park designation could bring. However, on the basis of the information provided so far, the Council rejects the proposal for a new National Park at this time until further clarity on the governance, planning and financial arrangements as well as transition plans were received. NRW would meet to consider the consultation responses on 12 January 2026; any objections from affected local authorities would automatically trigger a Public Inquiry. The Lead Member and Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services thanked the wide ranging contributors to the consultation from across the Council and highlighted the amount of work involved leading up to the latest response. The Leader referred to the detailed debate on the issue at a Special Council on 4 November which had been reflected in the draft consultation response. Cabinet also thanked officers for their hard work over a long period and all those involved who had contributed to the process and consultation. Councillor Hugh Evans thanked the Lead Member for taking account of the debate at full Council when formulating the Cabinet recommendation which had been clearly set out. He felt there had been a good, balanced debate at Council on the pros and cons of a National Park, and highlighted the risk of the unknowns in terms of finance and governance arrangements and consequential impact on services. Councillor Delyth Jones agreed that the discussion at full Council had been very open and positive and it would not be sensible to take such a step without having sufficient information and assurance about how it would be funded, particularly given the difficult financial climate and increasing pressures facing local authorities. Councillor Rhys Thomas referred to the differing views expressed at full Council with Cabinet having listened intently to those views. Whilst he was personally supportive of National Parks, he felt that the necessary detail required in order for the Council to make a fully informed decision should have been available at the outset, specifically how the National Park would be funded and subsequent impact on the Council. Councillor Arwel Roberts was not supportive of a National Park and felt that there were other, more pressing priorities that needed to be addressed. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approves the draft response to the Natural Resources Wales consultation on the proposal to designate Glyndŵr National Park (Appendix 1 to the report), and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix 3 to the report) as part of its consideration.
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RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the procurement and direct award contract to Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK Ltd (Jones Bros) for the site clearance, demolition and asbestos removal up to the value of £4.7m, and (b) delegates authority to the Corporate Director: Environment and Economy, Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services, S.151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to award the contract once the Council’s Design and Construction team were happy that all pre-contract information had been received and was acceptable.
(This item was brought forward on the agenda with the consent of the Leader) Councillor Jason McLellan presented the report seeking Cabinet approval to award a contract for site clearance, asbestos removal and demolition as part of the Phase 1 of the re-development of the Former North Wales Hospital site. Some background had been provided to the project which included new housing and employment units and represented a huge economic development opportunity to the area. The contract award was another key milestone in the project’s development and given the estimated cost was over £2m required Cabinet approval. The Council worked closely with Ambition North Wales (ANW) and Jones Bros (JB) on the project and given the site deterioration the urgent need to address health and safety concerns was clear to all partners. Details of the funding to support Phase 1 of the project were given together with a summary of the works to be carried out with an estimated timescale for completion of eighteen months. Due to the importance of the site, the Council, ANW and JB were working on community engagement plans prior to work commencing involving wider communication such as public drop-in sessions and site visits for local members and the Town Council. Cabinet recognised the need to prioritise and address the current health and safety risks on the site noting that significant progress would be made on site as a result of the work being carried out representing a positive step forward. Cabinet reiterated the importance of timely public engagement and members were pleased to hear of the community engagement plans. In response to questions officers advised that – · the work would be carried out in five phases, each phase would be carefully managed, the asbestos contamination would be carefully established, and a method statement carried out and budget cost against each phase; as each phase was delivered and the actual costs established the next phase would progress, up to the point where the £4.7m funding allocation had been spent; it was difficult to accurately cost the total amount required but it was considered that £4.7m would not be a sufficient amount to complete the whole site · given the diversion of resources to focus on working to address the immediate health and safety risk on site work on the S.106 agreement had been temporarily set aside; assurances were provided that work would soon recommence on the S.106 agreement and discussions with partners and others had started to set up a separate group to move that part of the process forward. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) approve the procurement and direct award contract to Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK Ltd (Jones Bros) for the site clearance, demolition and asbestos removal up to the value of £4.7m, and (b) delegates authority to the Corporate Director: Environment and Economy, Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Services, S.151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to award the contract once the Council’s Design and Construction team were happy that all pre-contract information had been received and was acceptable.
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RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) agrees the proposed new Pay Table as set out in Appendix 3 to the report and recommends it to full Council for approval, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment attached in Appendix 4 to the report as part of its consideration.
(This item was brought forward on the agenda with the consent of the Leader) Councillor Delyth Jones introduced the report on the proposed new Pay Table for Cabinet’s consideration and recommendation of the same to Council for approval. The need for a review of the Council’s National Joint Council (NJC) Pay Table was required following removal of spinal column point 2 as part of the NJC Pay Award for 2025 and there were also other significant issues with the current pay table which needed to be addressed in order to future proof and provide a fairer, more equal pay structure. Details of the current pay structure; the potential pay models considered together with the proposed model based on the issues it addressed and affordability had been provided. Key impacts were highlighted including no employee having a reduction in pay with 50% of the workforce at grade 1 – 4 seeing a pay increase. Implementation costs of the new pay table had been set out. The Head of Corporate Support Service: People advised that a Special Council meeting had been arranged in December to consider the new pay table given the timescales required for implementation on 1 April 2026. She elaborated on the reasoning behind the new pay table to address current issues and ensure it was fit for purpose going forward whilst balancing affordability. Trade Unions had been involved in the development of the new pay table and there had been minimal response to the staff consultation, or issues raised to warrant its reconsideration. The Head of Finance and Audit referred to the affordability element and highlighted costs associated with the new pay model’s implementation as set out in the report for future years which had been factored into the Medium Term Financial Plan. Councillor Julie Matthews felt the new pay table signified a positive step for staff, resolved issues in the current pay table, and she supported the recommendation. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) agrees the proposed new Pay Table as set out in Appendix 3 to the report and recommends it to full Council for approval, and (b) confirms that it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment attached in Appendix 4 to the report as part of its consideration.
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RESOLVED that Cabinet endorse the documents attached at Appendix A to the report for submission to UK Government, subject to the changes proposed by the Partnerships Scrutiny Committee (Appendix C to the report) being made.
Councillor Jason McLellan presented the report seeking Cabinet’s endorsement of the draft 10-year Vision and draft 4-year Regeneration Plan prior to their submission to the UK Government together with next steps. The draft “Our Rhyl” Vision and Regeneration Plan were required as part of the UK Government’s Pride in Place Programme. UK Government required the programme decisions to be taken by an Independent Board separate from the Council and the Our Rhyl Plan document belonged to that Board. However, the funding would be received by the Council and the Our Rhyl Plan required sign-off from the S.151 Officer. The Programme sought to invest £20m funding into Rhyl over the period 2026 – 2036 which required submission of a 10-year vision and 4-year investment plan aligning to three strategic objectives and 8 identified themes. The Our Rhyl Board terms of reference and membership had been included in the report. The Corporate Director: Environment and Economy and Rhyl Regeneration Programme Manager attended for the item. The Corporate Director provided further background to the report, clarifying the role of the Council and the Our Rhyl Board and the wealth of engagement in the development of the Plan which would continue over its lifetime to ensure it remained a community led funding programme. Reference was made to the tight timescales for submission of the Vision and Plan and once it had been approved by the UK Government there would be a call for project ideas. The Plan had been presented to the Rhyl Member Area Group and Partnerships Scrutiny Committee whose recommendations had been included. Main points of discussion focused on the following – · officers elaborated on the scrutiny committee’s four recommendations confirming that the first two related to no specific projects within the Plan and the Board’s intention to establish a community regeneration fund to support smaller community based initiatives together with a strategic projects fund to support larger capital projects to deliver on the Plan’s priorities. The third recommendation sought active and positive engagement with the community across the whole of Rhyl in different sectors which would be ongoing over the 10-year lifetime of the Plan. The fourth recommendation related to the Board’s membership and the Board had recognised some gaps within its membership which would be reviewed by the Board at their meeting in December · Councillor Emrys Wynne highlighted the lack of reference to the Welsh Language, culture and heritage in the Plan and whilst acknowledging it was currently in draft form sought assurances it would be translated into Welsh. Officers advised that some final edits were currently being made to the Plan which would include more references to the Welsh Language, culture and heritage and unfortunately due to time pressures it would be submitted to the UK Government in English only. However, a microsite was currently being developed to enable those documents to be presented on the website in both Welsh and English languages. Councillor Julie Matthews was pleased to note reference to the Public Sector Equality Duty and highlighted the importance of considering the wider equality issues in addition to Welsh Language and she also would have liked for a bilingual Plan to be submitted to the UK Government. Assurances were provided from the Leader and Corporate Director that the Board recognised the importance of those issues and discussions had been ongoing in that regard both in terms of ensuing bilingual and easy read versions of the documentation going forward and ensuring due consideration was given to those aspects during project discussions. RESOLVED that Cabinet endorse the documents attached at Appendix A to the report for submission to UK Government, subject to the changes proposed by the Partnerships Scrutiny Committee (Appendix C to the report) being made.
This item was deferred to a future meeting of the Cabinet.
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RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) note the budgets set for 2026/26 and progress against the agreed budget strategy, and (b) approve the £1m set aside to the Council Fund Balance as detailed in paragraph 6.1 of the report and the creation of the Funding Future Sources of Funding reserve as detailed in paragraph 6.5 of the report.
Councillor Delyth Jones presented the finance report for 2025/26 detailing the latest financial position and progress against the agreed budget strategy. A summary of the Council’s financial position was provided as follows – · the net revenue budget for 2025/26 was £290.735m (£271.021m in 2024/25) · an underspend of £3.722m (previously £3.828m underspend) was forecast for service and corporate budgets with the movement (£106k) mainly due to pressures in Adult Social Care and Children’s Services offset by share of external interest received from Shared Prosperity Funding · savings and efficiencies for the 2025/26 budget (£4.170m) and progress in delivering savings approved with ongoing tracking/monitoring · current risks and assumptions relating to corporate budgets and service areas · an update on Schools, Housing Revenue Account, and Treasury Management. The Lead Member guided members though the report detail with particular reference to the variances within the service and corporate budgets. In corporate budgets it was proposed to set aside £1m of the national insurance funding received from the Welsh Government in year to increase the Council Fund Balance from £5.6m to £6.6m (2.3% of the current net revenue budget 2025/26). In Corporate Support Services: Performance Digital and Assets a budget underspend of £349k reflected the pressure in the service (£100k) being offset by receipt of the Council’s share of interest received on the Shared Prosperity Funding (£449k). Due to uncertainty regarding levels of future external funding and to mitigate risks it was proposed to set aside the full amount of interest received in an earmarked reserve to be used to help to retain the capacity and agility to respond effectively to emerging funding opportunities. The level of potential risks and pressures facing the Council along with all other Councils in Wales was reiterated. In closing, the Lead Member thanked the Head of Finance and Audit and her team for their work. RESOLVED that Cabinet – (a) note the budgets set for 2026/26 and progress against the agreed budget strategy, and (b) approve the £1m set aside to the Council Fund Balance as detailed in paragraph 6.1 of the report and the creation of the Funding Future Sources of Funding reserve as detailed in paragraph 6.5 of the report.
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RESOLVED that Cabinet’s forward work programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 1.12 pm.
The Cabinet forward work programme was presented for consideration and members noted the following amendments – · Connect to Work: SEQF and IPS – moved from December to January · St. Peter’s Square Public Realm Improvements – added to January · Direct Award of Materials Supply to Housing Maintenance – added to February · Mental Health Supported Housing Project – added to March and June RESOLVED that Cabinet’s forward work programme be noted. The meeting concluded at 1.12 pm.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Dyw'r cyngor ddim wedi cofnodi presenoldeb ar gyfer y cyfarfod hwn.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.